On the definition of “Christian”

A very basic, very central truth is being forgotten and left by the wayside as we progress through our lives, and it is to our detriment that it is left behind. “Christian” isn’t an empty label that gets added to things willy-nilly. “Christian” means “Christ-like”.

I know, that’s so obvious as to be nearly ridiculous. Of course people who call themselves “Christian” should be like Christ. And the churches they form, when they gather together to worship and do the work corporately that they can’t do individually, like overseas missions and homeless ministries and schools, those should be like Christ. And the works they do, those should be like the work Christ did. I mean, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. It’s common sense.

But it seems, the more I encounter from people living in this world around me, the more I hear in the news, the more I observe in life, the less Christ I see in “Christianity”. It’s the opposite from what it should be. When I reflect on what I see in much of “Christianity”, I am little surprised that people are turned off by it. If “Christianity” reflects who Christ is, why would they ever want any part of Him? If He is judgment and hypocrisy, self-righteousness and mercilessness, ugliness and rejection, why would they ever choose Him?

And yet, this is what they find in the modern church! They hear Pat Robertson advocating the destruction of domestic and foreign governments, including assassinations, and damning innocent victims of natural disasters for an imagined sin of their forefathers! They hear about an Archbishop who forgave two doctors for providing an abortion to a nine year old rape victim, now having to fight calls for his resignation over his “questionable call” on the case. They hear sermons of hellfire and damnation, and nothing of grace and mercy. They come to us for help and are turned away because we’re too busy, or we decide they’re abusing us.

I don’t deny for a moment that there are people who take unfair advantage of the goodness of the others. I grew up with someone who did that, traveling from church to church, trotting out her three little girls, until she burned them out, and then she’d move on to the next church for help. It happens. I’m not saying that the church shouldn’t be wary; indeed, Jesus Himself warned us to be wary. But He also told us to be innocent. And more than that, He told us to go. He told us to love. He told us to be neighbors. And Beloved, we are disobedient. The fields are white for harvest, but the people who claim His name want nothing to do with who He is or the work He called them to.

You know what, though? That’s not OK. Wearing His name, and having nothing to do with who He is? You serve to drive people away from Him. You form an exclusive “members only” clique, where you suddenly get to decide who’s up to your standards to get into heaven. Suddenly, you become the final authority, you become the judge and god over everyone you meet, and you hold up a measuring rod that, let’s face it, you yourselves can’t meet. Or did you not realize you were setting yourselves up as idols? Did you not realize that modern christianity is nothing more than a golden calf in a new shape, and we’re all chewing our cud, lumbering after it straight into the abattoir? No wonder the world wants nothing to do with us!

Jesus was radical. He was born into a bad situation… an unwed mother who couldn’t explain how she became pregnant except by saying “It’s a miracle.” His parents have to relocate right before He’s born because of a government program, but they don’t have a house to go to, not even a hotel to stay in… so He’s born in a stable. He’s homeless. The first visitors are shepherds, men who live in the fields, taking care of animals. While He’s still small, his family has to flee for their lives when another government program comes in and kills all the children, looking for Him. And this is all before He’s potty trained!

By the time we find Him as an adult, He’s making friends with society’s rejects; tax collectors who lined their own pockets by inflating tax rates, political activists, women of low reputation, lepers who are forbidden from human contact. These people voluntarily change their entire way of life because of the influence of Jesus in their life. The tax collectors give back all they’ve taken and then some. The lepers, literally touched by Jesus, thank Him and go home to families, leaping for joy. The dead live. The blind see. Lives are changed for the better.

Jesus teaches us about radical forgiveness. Don’t forgive once, or twice… make forgiveness so much a habit that you can’t keep count. If some one wrongs you by taking your coat, give them your shirt. Don’t seek revenge for the wrongs done to you. Let it go.

Jesus teaches about radical love. It’s easy to love your brother; we all do that. But what about your enemy. And what about your neighbor? Who is your neighbor? Jesus tells the story of a man beaten and robbed. A priest walks by, sees him, and ignores him. A righteous man walks by, sees him, ignores him. Finally, a man from a warring group walks by. He sees him, binds up his wounds, puts him on his own donkey, takes him to shelter, pays for his care, and promises to come back and provide more care. The clear teaching is that the man who gave of himself, no matter what group

I’ve spelled this out before, but I want to do it again. It seems it can’t be done enough. This is the litmus test, people. Jesus Himself told us: “By this will all men know you are my disciples (students, followers, LIKE ME), if you love one another (not just yourselves, but the way I love).” (Parenthetical comments mine). Then we are told by Paul what love is: “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

How do I know that THIS is the litmus test? Because later, when we are told what to look for in the life of a person who is living by the Spirit of God, many of the same things come up. See for yourself: the list is found in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Do you see them? Patience. Kindness. Faithfulness… because to persevere is to be faithful. Goodness, in opposition to evil. Self-controlled, not easily angered, or boastful or rude or self-seeking. Love.

If you want to really be like Christ, then you have to do what He did. You have to be the way He is. You have to love. You have to love freely, radically. You’ve got to make compassion a driving part of who you are and what you do and why you do it. You have to be willing to give up everything you have, to step out of everything you “deserve” in your life in order to love another. You have to die to yourself, to all your selfishness, if you’re going to be Christian. Because to be like Christ, you have to follow Him, even when it means you get taken advantage of, even when you aren’t sure what the outcome is, even when they hate you. You have to love them even when they reject you. To be like Christ, you have to accept the fact that He didn’t die for the ones YOU chose, He died for ALL of us. EVERY LAST ONE OF US.

There are lives and souls on the line. There are lost people who think that christians are happy that they will burn in hell. Stop. Just stop and think about that for a minute. If you really belong to Christ, I want you to stop and think about this for a minute. While the followers of Christ, the people who Loved radically like He called us to, are in Heaven, enjoying His presence, living eternally, there are going to be people in Hell, suffering forever. For every minute that Christians enjoy, they suffer. And the lost think we’re PLEASED about this prospect.

God isn’t. In Ezekiel, God pleads with the Hebrews: “Why, why will you die? Repent and live!” Why would ANYONE ever be pleased at this idea? If you really believe that hell exists, that it is a real place of suffering and torment, WHY ARE YOU SITTING HERE, DOING NOTHING? Your friends, your neighbors, your loved ones, your loved ones’ friends and neighbors and their loved ones are all going to that HORRIBLE PLACE unless some one demonstrates the radical love of Christ to them! All they’ve seen is the ugly calf of modern cliquish christianity, of “I’m better than you, and I’m going to fish in heaven” or whatever, and they don’t want that! Or they think they’re good enough and that’s going to get them in. Or they went to church when they were kids, and think that’s going to get them in. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARE YOU SITTING HERE WHEN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HELL ALL AROUND YOU?

I’m not talking to the lost. They don’t need to be scared out of hell. They’re turned off of that. They need to be loved into heaven. They need the same mercy and grace we’ve received so freely. They need us to get off our complacent behinds and GET INTO THE FIELDS and GET TO WORK.

The modern church is a shame. If you recognized yourself as a cud chewer, get out of line. There’s still time before the blade falls. You can still be a follower of the radical Christ. If you want to be part of the radical love of Jesus, then get out there. Love people. They aren’t projects. They’re people. They’re no different from you and I, no more or less deserving of God’s grace and forgiveness than we ever have been. So Go. Go into all the world… across the room, across the street, across the block, across the city, across the state, across the country, across the world… go and love them. There’s no time to lose.